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Whether it’s the flesh, laziness, or some freaky spiritual pest, sometimes it can be the hardest thing to even pay attention to sermons.
Sometimes I can listen to the most fervent, Holy Spirit empowered, Biblically saturated, well communicated, thoroughly applicable, doctrinally sound preaching from the pulpit and walk away like I’d just been napping for the last hour. Sometimes, no matter how sharp the sermon might be, I don’t hear a thing.
Examples: I’ll hear a sermon on patience or anger and leave without a single stirring in my heart about all my grumpiness. I’ll hear about pride and think immediately of the pride in others. I’ll hear a sermon on the character of God, the Majesty of his Kingdom, the grace in his Son’s sacrifice on the cross, yet I don’t feel the slightest weight of his glory during the worship.
In short, what I mean to say is I am often DULL in listening to the word of God.
James 1:21
Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.
This verse disarmed me the moment I read it. I think it might be one of the most trying things we can do, to “humbly receive” the word of God.
To humbly receive the word of God means we’re not so quick to be offended when it corrects us. Means we’re not so self consumed that we’ve literally tuned out when the preacher speaks. Means we might even start to become suspicious of our own conclusions (especially when we feel our own arrogance puffing up when we’re corrected). Means we don’t feel as if a weight has been added to our lives when God calls us to action, but rather that a burden has been lifted.
How different would our lives be, how bereft of anxieties, and peevishness, and the intoxication of narcissism, if we were to humbly receive the word of God? If we were to say, “God, I trust this. This inconveniences me, but I trust this. And God, though all the desires of my flesh drive me to do my own thing, entice me to disregard your instruction, I will obey. Simply put, I will believe that you are right.”
I recently ordered a crazy weird lens that let me mess with the plane of focus when taking pictures. I thought I’d post a few shots I did of my church:
The other day I was trying to imagine just how embarrassed I would be if all the dark secrets of my life were suddenly exposed to all the people around me. Horrific. And it got me thinking how infinitely more horrifying is the reality that God, the pure, just, righteous, holy, kind, gracious, and generous God he is, sees all those secrets anyways. How ridiculous that I’m sly to fellow ragamuffins yet naked before a perfect God.
I bring this up because the college ministry I’m involved with recently covered some scriptures that treat this exact situation.
Hebrews 4:13-16
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Though we, wretched, scared, and bashful, come before a holy God, we find he is magnanimous. And not only this, he understands.
I’ve met so many people (in the church and without) who paint for me an unfortunately murky and unfaithful image of Christ. When my sins are exposed they sometimes chew me up and spit me out, or eschew and ostracize me, or apathetically dismiss me, or ignore me, misunderstand me, gossip about and slander me, or excuse me even deeper into my sin, or feed me with useless platitudes. They do so many things. Sometimes they even encourage, comfort, and exhort me. Yet none of them ever are like Christ.
He is both majestic and meek, just and benevolent, perfect and understanding, sinless and sympathetic, all powerful and attentive.
Because he is both and not either/or, he is the single person to whom we should always go when stumbling, when sinning, when ashamed to come before the holy.
